


Dark Passenger

by madeleine334



Series: The Masquerade Continued [3]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Arguing, Brotherly Bonding, M/M, Multiple Personalities, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27162028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeleine334/pseuds/madeleine334
Summary: Jumin witnesses Saeran and Yoosung arguing, causing Yoosung to leave. A new personality makes an appearance, while Saeyoung and Jumin are eager to get on top of that, urging Saeran to resume therapy. A brother trip to a cabin reveals what has caused this new personality.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Han Jumin, Choi Saeran/Kim Yoosung
Series: The Masquerade Continued [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623856
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Dark Passenger

**Author's Note:**

> Staying up too late makes me think of Mystic Messenger, giving me this idea to write.

Screaming, yelling, incoherent noises, crying, and Yoosung running out the door in tears. Jumin watched the events unfold, unsure what was even happening as he watched his brother-in-law and his husband’s best friend argue about something he couldn’t quite understand. Not that he didn’t _understand_ what they were really saying, more like he didn’t _understand_ why they were arguing. One second had Yoosung babbling on and on about one thing or another while Jumin clipped Elizabeth the 3rd’s nails gently and into even and rounded nubs for her delicate feet, and another second held anger and confusion as Saeran raised his voice at something the bottle blond had said.

Jumin ran after the blond, Saeyoung away with Jaehee for something or another and wouldn’t be back for another few hours or so. He caught up pretty easily, seeing as Yoosung only made it a few meters out of the house before hunching over and crying into the dirt. He wasn’t great at comfort, wasn’t great at being warm, only could do that for Saeyoung, but for his friend, he would try. He placed a hand on Yoosung’s back, letting the boy know that he was there, so not to frighten him. 

Yoosung turned to look at him, all teary eyed and snotty already, before quickly moving in to hug Jumin for his own comfort. Yoosung clutched to the older man, crying into his tailored suit, not that Jumin really minded or planned on doing anything about. It was just a suit and this was Yoosung.

Jumin let him cling all he wanted to, let him cry all he wanted to. When the boy was done, Jumin told him he would call Driver Kim to take him home.

Yoosung nodded, accepting it all with no complaint. 

“I’ll tell him to take you somewhere to eat,” Jumin added, “It’s getting late and you haven’t eaten, yet.”

Yoosung nodded again.

“I will wait out here with you,” Jumin then said, knowing that there was little to no way he would be bringing Yoosung back into that house with Saeran in it while the two boys were in the state they were in. Saeran hadn’t had a relapse this big in a long time. He had been doing so well. Something must have set him off, but Jumin wouldn’t find out what that was until he made sure Yoosung was on his was safely home.

Yoosung clung to Jumin up until Driver Kim pulled up, Jumin rubbing his back throughout the entire wait. It was the least he could do to make Yoosung feel a bit better, he told himself. 

“Text me to let me know you made it back,” Jumin told him before he closed the door of the car.

Yoosung nodded, sniffling still, as he put on his seat belt.

“Just leave Saeran to me,” he added, speaking mostly to himself upon realizing that he would now have to confront the other. He had left Elizabeth the 3rd in there, all alone and helpless, he realized. 

He sprinted to the door, opening it to find his beloved princess in the arms of Saeran, calm and even purring, as the man pet her. They were seated on the couch, as if nothing had even happened just moments ago. Elizabeth the 3rd had that way with people; she was a beacon of light in the darkness, a sign of hope where there was none, and perfect in every single way. Saeran stopped petting her upon realization that Jumin was back in the house and Elizabeth the 3rd responded to this by nudging his hand with her head in order to entice him to continue. A soft meow followed when that didn’t work. Saeran took her gently off his lap, placing her down on the floor, where she decided to count her losses and move on to the next room where she could lounge on the floor.

“Saeran, tell me what it is that caused the outburst,” Jumin told him, asking more than telling.

Saeran shook his head, refusing.

“Yoosung was scared,” Jumin told him.

“He should be,” Saeran told him. “It’s not his beloved Saeran here.”

Jumin watched the man wearily as the man continued sitting where he was, not looking up to Jumin from where he was staring on the floor.

“If it is not Saeran, then who is it?” He asked calmly. Jumin knew that if there were to be a fight, he could stand a chance. He had the height and weight advantage, he just had to brace himself, knowing that Saeran would fight dirty or...whoever this was.

Not Saeran shook his head again.

Jumin let out a sigh, but didn’t move from the safe distance he was at.

“Where is Saeyoung?” he then asked.

“He is out,” Jumin told him, “You know this. You watched him leave.”

“I didn’t,” Not Saeran told him, “Saeran did, it wasn’t me.” He seemed to get a bit frustrated at that.

“Why don’t you tell me what you remember?” Jumin then asked, keeping his voice even and calm. It wasn’t something that was all that difficult for him to do, he realized. He had grown fairly used to keeping his voice even with all the teasing he has done with Zen after all these years and with his job. Dealing with Saeran’s mood shifts, this ability had come in handy a surprising number of times.

“I remember,” he trailed off, his eyes widening. “I know that things have changed,” he then said, “I know that my brother lives with you, has gone back to using his name, but I don’t remember the events, just the knowledge. I didn’t experience it, just like reading words off a piece of paper,” he said.

“Then what is it that you remember?” Jumin asked again.

“I remember her and I remember our home, I remember the other one with all those lost souls seeking salvation,” his eyes became a wild that Jumin loathed, his smile one that had caused pain. Then, the smile fell, “I remember him leaving, I remember her leaving.” A tear fell.

“Saeran,” Jumin tried.

“No,” he yelled, “I’m not him and I’m not Ray,” he screamed.

“A third?” Jumin asked.

“Yes,” Not Saeran said, “and no.”

“Then who are you?” Jumin asked and Not Saeran just shook his head again.

Not Saeran never left the couch, just sat there, cradling his head. “It hurts,” he whimpered and Jumin felt his heart pang.

“Tell me where it hurts,” Jumin asked him.

“My head, my chest,” Not Saeran said. “They left and it hurts.”

Jumin moved closer, uncertain, yet worried that Saeran may actually be hurt.

“Why you?” Not Saeran then asked.

“Why me what?” Jumin replied.

“What is it about you that stopped him from looking for me?” Not Saeran asked. “What is it about you that makes him happy? Happier than I can make him?”

Jumin stopped at the sight of Not Saeran looking up to him with those sad eyes that weren’t completely Saeran’s. “If you’re not Saeran, then who are you? If you’re not his brother, then why do you need to make him happy?”

“Saeyoung took care of him,” Not Saeran said, “Took care of him, took care of us, until he didn’t. He cared for us and protected us from _her_ until he left. Rika, she made him go away, didn’t she?”

Jumin’s eyes widened at the name.

“I hated her, but I wasn’t strong enough to stop Ray, to stop Saeran. I stayed hidden, hating her inside. But, it is just the hate of her, of Rika, of Saeyoung, that I am,” Not Saeran said. The red head then frowned. “I think I hate you, too.”

“Because Saeyoung is happy with me?” Jumin asked, suspecting well enough what the man was getting at.

“Yes,” the other confirmed. In Not Saeran’s eyes, there was a darkness and a sadness hidden in the chemically abused irises. A Dark Passenger that hid inside, waiting to be freed. 

“Do you not wish for your brother to find happiness?” Jumin asked.

“He left me for it,” Not Saeran argued.

“He has already told you what happened,” Jumin told the other, trying carefully not to raise his voice. “You were both tricked, as were I and the rest of the R.F.A.”

“But, he left me and found someone new,” he argued, “he let me and found you and he is happy and he doesn’t need me anymore, he doesn’t want me here, he doesn’t want me!” he began to cry and scream. Jumin wasn’t prepared for the leap that caused him to fall to the floor, Not Saeran...or maybe it was just Saeran, a piece of the man hidden inside, forgotten, that hovered above him. Tears fell to Jumin’s face from above as the man continued to cry. “He doesn’t want me when he has you, he doesn’t need me and he never did,” he continued.

“Saeran, I need you to calm down,” Jumin tried, trying to push the man off of him.

“No,” the other says, “You are the one that is more important to him than me, more important than his own brother,” he cries.

“Your brother loves you,” Jumin tells him, feeling a rise of panic through his entire body. Paralyzing, immobilizing. “He loves you so much that he never stopped searching for you, he never stopped, Saeran!”

“Why is it you?” Saeran screamed. “What’s so great about you?” And then Saeran moved, leaning forward, all teeth and violence, claiming what was his brother’s as his.

Jumin tried to push him away, unable to move the man at first.

Saeran attacked his mouth, biting and licking. He touched his waist, grabbed at his clothes.

Finally, Jumin was able to throw him off of him. 

Saeran hit the floor and it sounded like the air was knocked out of him from the way he sucked in.

Jumin scrambled to his feet, moving away and keeping his distance from the other. He watched as Saeran looked at him and then looked around the room.

“W-what? Where?” he looked at his hands. “Jumin?”

“Saeran?” he asked. The darkness in his eyes was gone and he seemed more like the Saeran that had been living with him for a few years now.

Saeran’s face fell and he began to cry, different than he had before.

Despite what had just transpired, Jumin rushed to his side and held him close. He shushed him softly and pet his head, cradling him as he did. “It’s okay now,” he told him.

Saeran clutched to him, just as Yoosung had done earlier. “Jumin, I’m sorry,” he cried.

“I know,” Jumin shushed, continuing his petting.

*** 

Jumin took Saeran to his room, wanting the man to calm down and relax, hopefully he waould fall asleep, too. He pulled out his mobile phone and looked for Saeyoung’s contact, hitting the green button, and waited for his husband to answer his call.

 _“You rang?”_ his husband asked with a mischievous tone.

“We need to schedule a therapy session for Saeran as soon as possible,” he said, getting straight to the point.

_“Tell me what happened,”_ he replied seriously.

“I would rather discuss this in person,” he admitted. He felt sore now that he had allowed his body to relax a bit. “He is okay.”

_“What about you?”_

Jumin smiled at that. Of course his husband would worry for him. “I’m fine,” he assured. “We’ll talk about it when you get back.”

There was silence on the other end.

“I love you,” Jumin told him.

A chuckle broke the silence. _“I love you, too.”_

Jumin and Saeyoung said their goodbyes before handing up. 

Later that night, Saeyoung came into their bedroom where Jumin was already laying down, Elizabeth the 3rd was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is my baby, Elly?” Saeyoung asked.

“Elizabeth the 3rd is in Saeran’s room,” he told the other as he flipped through the newspaper from that morning. He had not been able to read it yet and he wanted to before the next morning brought a new paper for him to read.

Saeyoung said nothing in response, instead he crawled into bed, pushing the paper away from Jumin in order to cuddle with the man. “So,” he began, sounding a bit nervous, “what happened today?”

Jumin gave up on attempting to read the paper. Besides, at this point, it was all old news. “Saeran had an episode today. Yoosung was here during it and I had Driver Kim take him home. There was a bit of an altercation and Saeran jumped on me and tried kissing me.”

Saeyoung turned pale.

“Let me explain,” he said, stopping his husband from saying anything to interrupt him. “I think he created another personality. It laid dormant for a long time up until recently. I’m not sure what triggered it, but something happened when he and Yoosung were arguing.”

“Did Yoosung say what they were arguing about?” Saeyoung asked, looking tense. He was still pale.

“I didn’t ask,” Jumin admitted. “He was too upset to talk about it, anyway. From what I heard, it was something about Yoosung dying his hair.”

“I thought Saeran was fine with Yoosung dying his hair,” Saeyoung said. “I’ve even heard him talk about helping him with it.”

“I thought the same,” Jumin added.

“I wonder what changed,” Saeyoung said, cuddling up to Jumin. “Did Saeran say anything? Why did he kiss you?”

Jumin sighed. “He talked about you leaving him, at some point, all of him, his personalities, they all felt abandoned. He talked about how Rika took you away and he knew it. He said that the last thing he remembered was being in Mint Eye, but he knew about us living here and him being here. Like he read about it instead of experiencing it.”

Saeyoung nodded, listening.

“He asked what it was about me that caused you to stop looking for him and that was when he kissed me. It really wasn’t much of a kiss though,” Jumin said, “it was more like he attacked me with his lips and teeth.”

Saeyoung frowned, looking at Jumin’s mouth. His lips did look a bit bruised.

“I think that there was some sort of trigger we don’t know about and I want him to talk to his therapist about this new personality.”

Saeyoung nodded. “I agree.”

Jumin looked to his husband, rolling to his side to face him, pulling him close to him. “You know I want what is best for the both of you,” he said.

“Of course I know that,” Saeyoung said.

“Perhaps you should take some time off and just be with your brother a bit,” he then suggested.

Saeyoung said nothing, just wrapped his arms around Jumin’s middle. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, “but, what about my projects?”

“They will be there when you both return,” he told him. “You’re so far ahead of schedule that a month off wouldn’t even harm anything,” he told him.

“As if I could stay idle for so long,” Saeyoung snickered. “A week, I’ll take off a week and then Saeran and I will go somewhere.”

Jumin smiled, kissing the red head’s forehead. “That sounds like a good plan.”

“Can you handle me being gone that long?” Saeyoung asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“I think I’ll manage,” Jumin told him.

Saeyoung pouted. “I won’t,” he said.

“You’ll be fine,” Jumin told him, kissing his lips.

Saeyoung melted into the kiss, but then pulled back. “I need to go talk to him,” he said, getting out of bed and leaving the room.

When Saeyoung knocks on Saeran’s door, he doesn’t get a response. He lets his brother know he is coming in before opening the door. 

Laying on the bed is Saeran, Elizabeth the 3rd curled up on his chest as he pets her. The sound of her purring is the only noise in the room.

“Jumin told me you had an episode today,” Saeyoung mutters, suddenly nervous to talk to his brother.

Saeran only nods.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he then asks, walking into the room and sitting on the bed, near the bottom edge.

Saeran shakes his head this time, not wanting to speak.

“He’s not mad,” Saeyoung tells him.

“He should be,” Saeran responds.

“He cares about you, too, you know,” Saeyoung tells him. “He wants to make sure you’re okay and that your getting better. He wants to schedule an appointment with your therapist tomorrow,” he adds.

“I know,” Saeran replies and maybe he wants that, too. A tear falls from his eyes and he makes a face that tells Saeyoung he’s about to fall apart. “I hurt him,” he said before falling to tears.

Elizabeth the 3rd jumps down from the bed, fleeing to the hall, giving Saeyoung an opening to hug his brother.

Saeran scoots over, giving his brother room to lie down next to him. Just like when they were kids still, holding each other in the middle of the night, once their mom returned from whatever bender she had just had, holding each other and hoping, praying, that she would forget they were there.

“She can’t hurt us anymore,” Saeran then says and Saeyoung knows he’s not talking just to him. “Neither of them can hurt us, we’re free.”

Saeyoung holds his brother tighter, letting his own tears fall. A tear for his brother, a tear for every time she hit one of them, a tear for their broken childhoods, a tear for every lie that was told to them, a tear for every moment they were separated. 

The two cried, clutching each other as they let out all their pent up fears out. They were together now, they would never be separated again. Neither would allow it to happen.

*** 

Saeyoung slept in his brother’s room that night. The next morning, Jumin didn’t comment on it, simply had the chef make them breakfast as usual. The two woke up by the time it was done, stumbling out of Saeran’s room, still affected from their sleep.

Jumin held out two cups of water, knowing they were probably a bit dehydrated. They accepted them without complaint.

Breakfast itself was a quiet affair, neither twin really speaking up, not that Jumin minded. It gave him time to read that morning’s paper and to drink some coffee.

“When is my next appointment?” Saeran asked after they had all finished eating.

“This afternoon,” Jumin stated easily, like he was referring to the weather. “We will leave after lunch,” he added.

Saeran nodded, standing from his spot at the table and taking his dishes to the kitchen to wash.

“After,” Jumin then said, stopping Saeran from fleeing up to his room after he was done, “Saeyoung and you will plan a trip together. You will both be gone for a week, so make sure to plan out activities.” He took another sip of his second cup of coffee.

Saeyoung stayed quiet as he watched his brother nod once before retreating up the stairs and to his room.

“I think that went well,” Jumin then said, looking over to his husband with a small smile.

Saeyoung nodded, taking Jumin’s hand from his paper, bringing it to his lips to kiss before simply holding it. “Thank you,” she said.

“For you two, anything,” he smiled.

*** 

The therapist greeted Saeran, inviting him into her office for their session, shutting the door behind them as Jumin and Saeyoung stood in the lobby.

“I suppose we should go kill some time before he is done,” Saeyoung said, taking Jumin’s hand.

“Perhaps a walk through the park,” Jumin suggested with a smile.

“You know I love walking with you,” Saeyoung said, returning it.

There was a park near the therapist’s office that the two enjoyed. It was convenient and appreciated.

“Have you thought about where you may want to go?” Jumin asked.

“Maybe up to the mountains?” he suggested. “We could stay in a cabin. Hike, visit some hot springs, and enjoy some local cuisine.”

Jumin smiled, nodding at the suggestion. “I think he would appreciate that. No place too crowded, some place where he can relax and enjoy himself.”

“I wish you could come,” Saeyoung said.

“Maybe next time,” Jumin told him. “This is for you and Saeran.”

“Yeah,” Saeyoung said, a smile forming on his face. “Maybe I can find some place with one of those big flower gardens or a field where we can go on a picnic or something,” he then said.

“I think your brother would appreciate that,” Jumin replied. It was no secret that Saeran loved gardening and flowers. He had kept the garden at the house more than alive, it had been thriving.

The two talked more, veering off the topic of Saeran, moving in to the topic that had been coming up more and more recently with Jumin’s father; heirs.

*** 

Saeran’s session had ended and he met the other two in the lobby where they waited. He didn’t say anything to them, just followed them to the car, where they then drove home. Saeyoung asked Saeran to help him plan their week long excursion. Saeyoung insisted that he would do all the driving, not that Saeran had offered. He didn’t know how to drive, anyway.

After a few hours of Saeyoung talking and Saeran huffing and nodding, the two finally settled on what they would plan to do and where they would go; a small town in the mountains. It was a bit touristy with a few attractions. There would be a cabin, fishing for Saeyoung, hiking and nature trails, lakes with boat rentals, a lot of local flower gardens to tour for Saeran, and a small town theater with a production during that time. 

“I’m excited,” Saeyoung told his brother, giving him a big smile, a big and genuine smile.

Saeran’s smile in return was smaller, much smaller, but no less genuine.

*** 

Saeran scowled upon being woken up so early. He sat in the passenger’s seat of one of the company cars that Jumin arranged for them to use. Saeyoung had made his displeasure known of having to use one of them instead of one of his babies.

The drive was long and boring, causing Saeran to fall back asleep along the way. 

When they arrived, Saeyoung seemed pretty tired, as well. They didn’t talk much at all during the drive and it made things a bit tense, but Saeran said nothing of it and neither did Saeyoung. The cabin was beautiful on the outside and even more so once they stepped in. It was nothing like their home with Jumin. For starters, it was much smaller. There were no cooks to prepare them meals on a daily basis, there was no Driver Kim to take them from place to place, and there was no garden in the back yard, much to Saeran’s displeasure. 

“Let’s go ahead and unpack,” Saeyoung told his brother. “Then we can drive into town and see everything.”

“Fine,” Saeran said, following his brother’s lead.

Each claimed a room as theirs, silently unpacking, and then finishing up at the same time.

“Let’s go, I want to walk around,” Saeyoung told his brother with a bit of a forced smile on his face.

Saeran frowned at that little detail, but said nothing as he walked to the car.

*** 

The town was cute, if a town could be called that. It was small, but there was more than enough to do. It was clearly a place that thrived off tourism without being too busy. There were local shops that carried unique items, such as antiques, as well as spas and salons. There were homemade sweet shops, clothing stores, and even an art studio or two. Not to mention all of the cafés and restaurants that covered the place. The two of them parked in a lot, deciding to walk around the place, needing to stretch their legs after such a long drive.

“Some places are already getting ready to close,” Saeran pointed out.

“Yeah,” Saeyoung said. “We did get here pretty late. I guess we will just have to come back tomorrow.”

“We might as well keep walking,” his brother told him, “so we know what to look for tomorrow.”

Saeyoung smiled and nodded, glad to be walking next to Saeran.

Saeran looked over to his brother, seeing the smile. Hesitantly, he took his brother’s hand as he looked down at the ground. “Tomorrow, we should get some ice cream,” he said, feeling a bit nervous.

Saeyoung squeezed his hand a bit, getting his brother to look back up at him. “I think that would be great,” he said.

Saeran smiled a bit before dropping Saeyoung’s hand. “Maybe we could go out on the lake one day, too.”

Saeyoung chuckled. “We could do that,” he said.

*** 

The next day, it was pouring down rain.

Saeran sat on the covered back porch of the cabin and frowned as he watched the endless stream of water fall from the sky and all over he and his brother’s plans for the day, ruining them. No lake, no walking, and _no ice cream._ He was furious.

“Saeran, come inside, I don’t want you sulking,” Saeyoung said, opening the back door. He held a cup of jasmine tea in his hand. The smell seeped into the air and right to Saeran’s nostrils. 

“Make me some tea, too,” he gruffly demanded.

Saeyoung rolled his eyes, but agreed.

“Stupid rain,” he muttered to himself as he followed his brother inside. “I’m hungry,” he said after closing the door.

“There’s nothing in here except for some granola,” Saeyoung told him. 

Both brothers had a long history with poor eating habits, but ever since Jumin entered their lives, their stomachs and appetites have become more healthy and normal. Granola wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Saeran almost growled at the answer.

“When the rain lets up, we’ll go eat. Maybe they will serve ice cream or we can just get some after,” Saeyoung tried to reason.

“I’m hungry now,” Saeran argued back. “Blame your husband for that,” he snapped.

Saeyoung eyed him, annoyed by his brother’s words. “Stop it,” he said sternly.

Saeran did stop. His hands were clenched tight into pale fists, his knuckles straining against the sheet white skin of his fingers. He was anxious, he felt trapped in this cabin at that moment, trapped like he had felt when she was there, when they were stuck in that hell house they called home. He cracked.

Saeyoung watched as the tears fell down his brother’s face. “Saeran,” he said, rushing over to his brother, pulling the man towards him.

Saeran allowed it to happen, didn’t struggle once. He cried and leaned into his brother, fists uncurling and falling limp at his side.

Saeyoung held his brother close, wanting to protect him from what was hurting him, just as he had done and tried to do when they were young. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised. “This time, I’m going to protect you.”

Saeran’s arms moved to wrap around Saeyoung’s middle. “I th-thought I saw h-her,” he said, crying as he spoke. “Both of them,” he told him.

Saeyoung’s eyes widened, holding him closer.

“Yoosung and I,” he sniffled, trying to stop crying as he continued explaining what had gone so wrong that day. “W-we came back from a movie theater,” he said. “I thought I saw her there and suddenly I blacked out. I came back to focus when the movie ended and we left. When we were leaving, I thought Rika was in the lobby. I was so scared and Yoosung asked me what was wrong. We started arguing about something and I said some things, said he needed to back off and that he was,” Saeran shook his head against Saeyoung’s shoulder. “I said some horrible things and then I blacked out again.” He sniffled again. “I’ve been having nightmares,” he explained, “of Mint Eye, of Rika, but mostly, I’ve been dreaming of when we were little. I keep seeing mom.”

Saeyoung held him as he listened.

“I think there is someone else in me, not Ray and not Unknown. Some sort of Dark Passenger,” he said, “full of nothing but hate and fear, nothing like Unknown. This one, I don’t think it can feel sympathy or love.”

“It’s what she was,” Saeyoung told him. “Mom couldn’t care for us, couldn’t love us. But, that was her, it’s not you and it’s not me.” 

Saeran looked up to his brother as the other spoke.

“You love Yoosung, right?” 

Saeran nodded.

“Then you’re not her,” he said, “and I love you and I love Jumin. Neither of us are going to turn out like she did,” he promised.

“I love you, too,” Saeran said, crying once again.

Saeyoung couldn’t stop himself from smiling from hearing that. “I know you do,” he told his brother, “and I know that you didn’t mean to hurt Jumin and you don’t mean to hurt anyone.”

Saeran nodded. “I messed up,” he said.

Saeyoung held him tighter. “It’s okay,” he said, “nobody is mad at you,” he assured.

“I need to make things right with him,” Saeran said, tears still falling down his face, “With Yoosung, too.”

Saeyoung nodded. “When we get back, you can.”

Saeran pulled away from his brother, looking into his eyes as he nodded.

Saeyoung smiled before jokingly scolding, “Now keep your paws off my husband.”

Saeran rolled his eyes. “He wasn’t that good of a kisser, anyway,” he said.

“Hey!” Saeyoung said, gently pushing Saeran.

Saeran shook his head, looking out the window to see that the rain had let up a bit.

“It’s probably light enough to drive now,” Saeyoung said.

“Good, because I want some ice cream,” he said, grabbing his shoes.

Saeyoung laughed at that. “Only after we eat some real food.”

“Fine,” Saeran said, admitting defeat.

*** 

The rest of the weekend passed by fairly quickly. There were no more fights, no more arguments, and Saeran could even admit that he enjoyed the time he spent with his brother.

“Hey,” Saeran said as the two of them drove away from the cabin for the last time, beginning their journey back home.

“Yeah?” Saeyoung asked, focusing on the road.

“We should try this again,” he said, looking out the window as they passed by the ice cream parlor that Saeran insisted they get an ice cream at least once a day. He was well aware that he had a problem.

Saeyoung smiled. “Of course,” he said, “I’d like that a lot, actually. Love it, even.”

Saeran just hummed in response. “I need to talk to Yoosung when we return.”

Saeyoung didn’t know how to respond to that. Yoosung had been a topic that neither brought up since the storm. Jumin told Saeyoung that he and Saeran were in an argument and that Saeyoung must have said or done something that hurt Yoosung’s feelings. Now that he learned a bit more, he didn’t know how to respond. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Saeyoung asked.

Saeran didn’t respond, just looked out his window.

Saeyoung didn’t push the topic, didn’t ask anything else about it. Pushing for answers would only push Saeran away, would probably make his brother mad at him, ruin the mood. He said nothing, just continued driving. There was a soft lull of the sound of driving, or the wheels speeding down the pavement, and of the soft sounds of the radio playing on low.

He began to think about when the last time he and Jumin had an argument was. They didn’t argue all that often, but when they did it usually was about his brother and how to approach his continued treatment. Jumin was a strong believer in continued treatment, of continued experimental therapy, even; animal therapy, art, music, and things that Saeyoung would have never even considered. Of course, Saeyoung did want his brother improving, but he was also worried that these added therapeutic endeavors would put too much stress on Saeran or even add to his problems. Part of him wanted to just keep Saeran close, keep him in the house, keep his safe and hidden from the world, keep anything from hurting him. Jumin pointed out that he was doing the same thing Rika did if he were to lock Saeran away from the rest of the world. Saeyoung didn’t like that, didn’t like that one bit. He yelled at him, screamed at him, cried, they talked, and then they made up. These things happened from time to time, but they always moved past it. Saeyoung believed that Saeran and Yoosung could move past whatever they fought about. Surely, they could reach an understanding.

Saeyoung remembered the last time he and Jumin fought. Saeyoung cried and didn’t sleep in their room the first night. The next night, Jumin stayed in his office, refusing to come home, claiming that he couldn’t stop working at the moment, that he needed to finish things as soon as he could. Saeyoung knew that it was just him trying to avoid him. It was Saeran that forced them to talk to each other. He called Jumin, told him that he needed him to pick him up, calling Saeyoung and telling him the same thing. They met up and he told them that he wouldn’t come home unless they talked and “sort your shit out,” as he put it. He knew they were fighting about him, knew that they fought about his treatment. Saeyoung felt so guilty about it and felt even worse knowing that his brother knew.

“Yoosung wants me to move in to his dorm with him,” Saeran said suddenly. They had been driving down the road for about an hour in relative silence. 

“Have you two talked about moving in together?” Saeyoung asked hesitantly.

“He has brought it up before,” Saeran told him, “a few times.”

“What do you want?”

“I don’t want to live in his tiny little dorm,” he said. He was silent after that for another few minutes. Saeyoung gave him room to speak, not wanting to ruin what was happening. This was progress, right? He sure felt like it was. “I don’t think I’m ready to live with him,” he then said. “I don’t think I’m ready to leave you. I feel like I just got you back and I don’t want you to disappear again.” 

Saeyoung felt a pang in his heart. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told his brother.

Saeran nodded. “I know,” he said, “it would be me leaving, this time.”

“You always know where to find me,” Saeyoung assured him.

“Maybe I don’t want to live with Yoosung,” Saeran then said. “He’s still in school and our future is still uncertain. Besides, what am I but a broken person with no job future?”

Saeyoung wanted to pull over and hug his brother.

“It’s not like I want to live off you and Jumin for the rest of my life,” he hissed. The pain in his voice stabbed into Saeyoung’s heart like a cold knife.

Saeyoung felt the tears sting at his eyes.

“I would just be moving from living off Jumin’s money to living off Yoosung’s,” he mumbled. “I want to be able to support myself before I think about anything like moving in with Yoosung.”

“Have you told Yoosung this?” he asked.

“No, I just yelled that I didn’t want to live with him and to stop asking,” Saeran admitted.

It was no secret that Saeran was a bit of a hot head. He had trouble handling his emotions and feelings, had even more trouble expressing them. Emotionally constipated is what Zen liked to call Jumin and sometimes he would refer to Saeran as that, as well. Although, Saeyoung disagreed with both claims. Both had their own difficulties and their own ways of dealing and expressing things.

“Don’t worry, I plan on talking to him,” Saeran spoke up.

“I never doubted you,” Saeyoung said.

“Maybe he and I should take a break,” Saeran then said.

Saeyoung’s eyes widened.

“We both want different things and I feel like neither of us are on the same page right now. Maybe we need to just take some time to find what we both want,” Saeran told him.

“Your therapist’s idea?” Saeyoung guessed.

“They did suggest it, yes,” Saeran answered, “and I think that it may be the best idea right now.”

Saeyoung heard a sniffle from his brother followed by a cry. He glanced over for a second to see Saeran’s red eyes, tears falling from them through the reflection of the window. “Saeran,” he said, worried.

“Keep driving,” Saeran told him through the tears, “I want to get home and pet Elizabeth the 3rd.”

Saeyoung nodded and kept his foot on the gas, wanting nothing more than to pull over and comfort his brother.

“I know he’s your best friend,” Saeran then said.

“And you are my brother,” Saeyoung cut him off. “I will support anything you decide to do.” He could feel Saeran’s eyes on him. 

“Thanks,” he heard him say softly. 

They stopped talking after that, with Saeyoung continuing to drive both of them back home in silence. When they reached their home, Saeran helped Saeyoung with the bags, while Jumin carried the souvenirs that both of them just had to buy; regional candies and snacks, postcards, and trinkets. 

Jumin was out in the front, retrieving some last things from the car, when Saeran hugged his brother. 

“Thank you,” he said before pulling away.

Saeyoung nodded. “No matter what you do, I want to support you, and I will support you,” he told him. “Yoosung is my friend and I will be there for him, too, but I will always support you.”

“I love him,” Saeran told him, trembling as he did so.

Saeyoung pulled him in for another hug.

Jumin walked in at that moment, interrupting the two. He said nothing as he saw the twins hugging, instead walking past, dropping off their stuff, and moving to the kitchen where he poured himself some wine. Over all, he considered the trip a win if it ended with the two of them hugging. Little did he know that there would be many more trips where he was left missing his husband. There would be the phone calls from Yoosung, asking him how Saeran was doing, telling him that he couldn’t bring himself to text either twins. He didn’t know that Yoosung would go to his office, begging him to help him, didn’t know that he would have to put his foot down, telling Yoosung that he couldn’t force a relationship, that Saeran wasn’t ready, and that Yoosung should look at himself and work on his own happiness and what it was that he wanted. Jumin knew none of this, all he knew at that moment was that the two brothers’ relationship seemed to be improving and that made him happy.

“Darling,” Jumin called out not too long after they had returned, reaching out to his husband. 

Saeyoung crawled into bed, cuddling up to his husband. “I missed you,” he told him, nuzzling into Jumin’s chest.

“I missed you, too,” he told him. “How was the trip?”

“It was wonderful,” he admitted. “Saeran asked if we could take another trip some time.”

Jumin smiled. “That does sound wonderful,” he chuckled.

“He talked to me about some of what was bothering him and about his other personality,” Saeyoung told him, serious as he spoke.

“Oh?” Jumin asked.

“And about how he wants to end things with Yoosung while he tries to figure out what he wants,” Saeyoung continued, “Or at least slow things down.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“That I was here to support him no matter what he did,” Saeyoung replied.

“That’s my boy,” Jumin said with a smile, kissing Saeyoung.

“And you will be here,” Saeyoung said.

“That’s right,” Jumin replied.

“I’m tired,” Saeyoung admitted.

“So am I,” Jumin told him, pulling the red head to his chest.

They slept easy that night, both knowing that there would be difficult times ahead as Saeran continued his recovery process, a process that may take longer than either imagined. But, Saeran was committed to his recovery, with was more than anyone could ask for. With a new Dark Passenger emerging, Saeran would focus on learning to cohabitate with those negative feelings, to sort them out, and to eventually move past all the wrong doings done upon him by the women in his life. He would have his brother beside him, his brother-in-law, and his friends, including Yoosung, he hoped. They both would need time to heal and Saeran hoped that maybe Yoosung would wait for them to finally be on the same page together.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this and for staying with this series. I hope to continue with another addition to The Masquerade series at some point. It's just something that is lower on my list of thoughts, unfortunatly. I do have some more ideas for non-The Masquerade stories written down, as well as one that I've worked on and off of for a year now. Hopefully I'll be able to get the drive to go and finish it.
> 
> A bit of a life update: I got a promotion at work a while ago and my hours have been extended by quite a bit. Without a set schedule and these long hours, it's really hard to find the time to sit down and write as much as I want. That on top of family obligations has made it pretty difficult, but I'm managing.
> 
> I haven't played the game in quite a while and I'm really holding out on Saeran's After Ending. 
> 
> Stay safe out there!


End file.
